This invention relates to shock absorbing bodies and, more particularly, to shock absorbing bumpers for automobiles.
Copending United States patent application Ser. No. 398,818 filed Sept. 19, 1973, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, describes a shock absorbing body for an object to be protected, such as a shock absorbing bumper for an automobile. This shock absorber has a body with hollow spaces that is arranged on a rigid support means. The outer region of the body is deformable by impact, and is provided with an armor of flexible high tensile strength belts that extend transversely through the outer region. The outer region therefore has a high tensile strength, but it can be bent by impact. Since, the belts extend over the entire outer region, they transmit the thrust forces during a collision to the other material of the deformable body. The advantage of the arrangement shown in the copending application is that during a concentrated localized impact the energy is dissipated, at least to a substantial extent, over the entire body. This is due to the transmission of the thrust forces to the other areas of the body by the arrangement of the deformable body and the high tensile strength belts.
Extensive investigations have shown that an impact can cause a sudden buckling of the walls defining the hollow spaces and extending perpendicularly to the support means in the deformable body. Such a buckling of the walls results in a break in the path of the forces created by the impact. In effect, the thrust would no longer be transmitted to the rest of the body through the belts when these walls have been collapsed.